Electric ozone generator



1934- E. c. STODDARD I 1,971,513

ELECTRIC OZONE GENERATOR Filed Feb. 18, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l 27 26 26 d u racazadq rd c'wfjwu 95.

Aug .28, 1934. c s o b RD 1,971,513

ELECTRIC OZONE GENERATOR Filed Feb. 18, 19 32 3,

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1%? arJCJZ'aaard Patented. Aug. 28, 1934 UNIT STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to electric ozoiie generators, and is particularly concerned with ozone generating devices which are automatic in their operation so that they may be installed for.

domestic or business use where the ozone generator must run without much attention or care.

The ozone generators of the prior art have not been capable of being used in this manner for the reason that it was necesasry to turn the generator on and ofi whenever the user felt that it was desirable to generate more ozone. Furthermore, the devices of the prior art have not been constructed in the form of units which can be conveniently installed in various difierent places where they might be used, and one of the objects of the invention is the provision of an improved ozone generator unit which may be utilized in a separate casing or which may be installed as a unit in a recess in any room.

Another object of the invention is theprovision of an improved ozone generator installa- Y tion which is adapted to maintain the air of a room in a proper condition,-without any attention or care on the part of the user.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved wall installation which is completely concealed and out of the way, but which is adapted to be used in the rooms of public buildings for providing the air with a fresh supply of ozone to dissipate smoke, mu germs, and

revitalize the air of the room. 1

Another object of the. invention is the provision of an improved ozone generator having an automatic timing mechanism whereby the gen- 5 erator is turned on at periodic intervals and operated for a predetermined period of time so that one standard device may be adjusted by means of the timing mechanism to take care of a room of any size or an assembly of people of any particular number.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved ozone generator structure which is capable of economical manufacture, sturdy, eiiicient and capable of operation for a long period of time without need of attention or repair.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will beapparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, of whichthere are three sheets, .Fig- 1 is a view in perspective of one of the ,tial section, showing a wall installation;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of one of the dielectric plates and electrodes with the supporting column or standard in section;

Fig. 6 is a similar view taken from the bottom of the same dielectric plate, showing the other electrode;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane of the-line 7'7 of Fig. 5, showing the structure of the supporting standards;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary plan view of one end of one electrode, showing the mode of securing a connection between the electrode and supporting standard;

Fig. 9 is a wiring diagram of the ozone generator;

Fig. 10 is a front elevational 'view of the dial and associated mechanism for the timing device;

Fig. 11 is an elevational view of the electric switch of the timing device withother parts of the timing device in section, taken on the plane of the line 11-11 of Fig. 12, looking in the direction of the arrows;

12 is a side elevational view of the timing mechanism;

Fig. 13 is'an enlarged sectional view of the shaft and dial of the timing device, showing the mode of support of the dial and its pointer on the shaft; the section being taken on a vertical axis through the shaftpand Fig. 14 is a fragmentary view of a part of a modified unit having a different type of electrode.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, 10 indicates in its entirety the ozone generator unit which is preferably enclosed in a casing 11 and provided with a timing mechanism 12. The casing 11 may be made of various materials, but is preferably constructed of electrical insulating material such as wood or a molded phenolical condensation compound, and provided with front and rear ventilation openings 13, 14, preferably covered with a screen or grating 15, 16.

In the typeof unit having a separate casing, I prefer to locate the timing mechanism in the back of the casing, as shown in Fig. 3, but where the casing 11 is installedin a wall I prefer to locate the timing mechanism 12 in the front so that it is readily accessible. The casing of the wall installation is preferably provided with a cover plate 17 consisting of a grating which may be formed of metal and covered with porcelain, and the grating is provided with a plurality of apertures 18 through. which the ozone is delivered. That portion of the grating not in line with the fan 19 is utilized for permtting the inflow of air into the casing 11 so that air flows in at the bottom of the casing and is driven out of the central portion of the grating 1'7, carrying with it the newly generated ozone.

The present unit is so small and its depth from front to back such that it can be convenienily installed in any ordinary wall, as shown in Fig. 4.

The ozone generator is preferably energized from the ordinary source of lighting current which is used for lighting, and for this purpose the portable unit shown in Fig. 1 may be provided with a, connection cord 20, having the usual plug 21 for engagement with the wall socket.

In Fig. 4 the connections from the lighting circuit are made by conductors carried by con duit 22 to the switch box 23, and thence to the ozone generator through the leads 20. The device is thus provided with a main control switch 24 for shutting 01f the ozone generator during such time when it is not desired to use the generator at all, and the same result may be accomplished by pulling out the plug 21 in Fig. 1.

Referring to Figs. 2, 3 and 9, the ozone generator preferably comprises a step-up transformer 25 which may be enclosed in a molded insulating casing 26 of phenolic condensation by any convenient fastening device, such as, for

the end of conductor 39 is clamped between the compound, usually called bakelite. The casing 26 is provided with a plurality of feet 27, having holes for the. reception of screw bolts or screws 28 for securing the unit in place in the casing 11. The transformer casing 26 also provides a support for a motor 29 for. driving a fan 30, and the motor may be secured to the transformer casing example, the supporting base 31, which is secured to the transformer casing by screw bolts 32 threaded into the transformer casing.

The transformer casing is preferably provided 'with brackets or integral attaching supporting flanges 33, each having an aperture 34 for receiving the column or standard 35 which supports the ozone genera or electrodes or plates. The standards 35 may consist of elongated rods,

each provided with a head 36 and a threaded portion 3'7, and the standard may be secured to the transformer casing by means of the nuts 38 which also serve to clamp the end of conductor 39 to the rod 35. When nut 38 is driven home by appropriate porcelain insulators or tubes,

since the rods 35 are intended to provide both a connection and a support for the electrodes of the ozone generator. In a similar manner, the conductor 41 is connected to the supporting rod 42 at the other side of the transformer, the conductors 39 and 41 comprising leads from the secondary or high voltage side of the transformer 25.

Above the transformer the rods 35, 42 support a plurality of electrodes 43, 44, arranged in groups, and one electrode of each group is arranged on each side of each dielectric plate 45. The dielectric plates 45 are preferably formed of glass, but various other forms of dielectric may also be used. Each glass plate 45 has a pair of apertures 46, one for each rod 35, 42. The electrodes of the ozone generator are preferably connected together in the manner shown in Fig. 9, all of the electrodes on one side of the glass plate 45"being connected to one side of the transformer secondary and the electrodes on the other side of the glass plates 45 being connected to the other lead from the transformer secondary. This may be accomplished by making the electrodes shorter than the glass plates so that the electrodes 44 do not extend over far enough to strike the rod 42, while the electrodes 43 do not extend far enough to the left to engage the rod 35.

The electrodes preferably consist of metal plates, the plates being channeled in section and p )vided with a flat body 47 having transversely extending retaining flanges 48, 49 along each edge.

The flanges 48, 49 are spaced sufficiently from each other to engage on the opposite sides of the insulating strip 49'. The flat body 47 of each electrode plate is placed adjacent the glass plate 45, and the electrode is retained in such position by the insulating strip 49, which is also provided with an aperture 50 for receiving the rod 35 or 42.

In order to space the plates from each other, the rods are also provided with spacers 51 which may. consist of a piece of insulating tubing surrounding the rod and engaging adjacent insulating strips 49 at each end of the tube. When all of the glass plates, metal electrodes, insulating strips and spacers have been assembled on the rods, they are secured in place by nuts 52.

In order to assure a connection between the metal electrodes 43, 44 and the rods 35, 42, the electrode plates are preferably provided with a slit 53 and the aperture 54 in each electrode plate is slightly smaller than the rod 35 so that when the electrode plates are assembled on the rods the metal plates are sprung apart at the slit 53 and the legs 54, 55 at the ends of each plate resiliently grip the rods to assurea good connection. The electrodes are thus clamped between the glass plates and insulating strips at the rods 35, 42, but the metal electrodes and glass plates may become separated slightly at points in between the supporting rods so as to permit the air to pass between the glass plates and the metal electrodes.

The motor and fan 29, 30 may consist of any convenient type of fan adapted to drive the air past the electrodes to continuously remove the ozone generated from the vicinity of the electrodes.

The ozone generator is preferably provided with a timing device 12 adapted to be adjusted to operate the generator for a predetermined period of time and to shut the generator off for a predetermined period of time. The standard unit already described is capable of producing enough ozone for a small room whenoperated for a few minutes each hour, and the unit should not be operated after the room has been provided with a suflicient amount of ozone. Furthermore, the amount of ozone required in the room will vary with the number of people assembled there,

and no single unit can be depended upon to supply a suflicient amount of ozone unless it is made large enough to take care of the maximum requirements which may be expected and also adapted to be adjusted to take care of any ordinary requirements without further attention.

By means of the timing arrangement 12, the present ozone generator can be adjusted for small rooms or large rooms, and the supply of ozone can be increased when a large assembly is to be present in the room.

In order to accomplish this result, the generator is preferably provided with a timing device 12 which may consist of a spring wound clock, but preferably consists of an electric clock adapted to be energized from the same source of current. The electric clock consists of a synchronous electric motor 56 which may be any of the standard clocks on'the market or a specially constructed clock. The electric motor 56, through a system of 'gearing, drives a shaft 57, which is provided with a dial 58 and a pointer 59. The dial and pointer 58, 59 may be carried by a hub 60. The hub 60 is provided with a collar 61 engaging the back side of the dial 58 and a riveted or spun shoulder 62' on the other side of the dial 58 for.

securing the dial 58 in place.

The pointer 59 is frictionally mounted on the hub 60 in such manner that it may be rotated to any desired position with respect to the dial 58.

The dial 58 is provided with a plurality of scale divisions 63 and indicia 64 corresponding to the number of minutes in an hour.

In some embodiments of the invention the cycle of the ozone generator may be carried on over a different period of time, such as a half hour or a quarter hour, but the hourly cycle is preferred for the reason that modern clock mechanisms are provided with shafts rotating at this speed.

The dial 58 is provided with a cam 65 located on its periphery and provided with a sloping surface 66. The cam surface 66 is adapted to engage a pin 67 which is carried by the switch lever 68 to move the switch lever 68 backward in Fig. 11.

The complete timing mechanism may-be mounted upon a panel 69 by means of a plurality of screw bolts '70. The panel is. provided with apertures '71 for passing the pin 6'7, '72 andfor passing the pin '73. A latch '74 is fixedly mounted on a shaft '75, which is rotatably mounted in an aperture in the panel 69. A coil spring '76 has one end secured to the shaft '75 to actuate the cam '74 in a clockwise direction in Fig. 10, and the other end of the spring is secured to the panel 69 by a screw bolt '78. Latch '74 comprisesa sheet metal member formed with a hook or retaining surface '79 and formed with a transversely extending end 80, The end extends into the path of movement of the end of the pointer 59. The dial 58 and hub 60 may be rotated freely on the reduced end"81 of the shaft 5'7, but may be secured in place by the nut 82. The pointer 59 is secured in place relative to dial 58 by the frictional engagement of the end of the pointer with the hub 60, the

bolt 91 carried by lever 68 and the other end hooked about a screw bolt 92 carried by switch lever 84. The spring tends to urge the switch levers 68, 84 together. Another spring 93 has one end secured to panel 69 by means of a pin 94, and the other end secured to a pin 95 carried by the end of switch lever 68. A stop member 96 prevents counterclockwise rotation of switch lever 68 when the parts are in the position of Fig. 11.

The operation of the timing mechanism is as follows: when the shaft 5'7 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as in Fig. 10, by the clock motor, the dial 58 and pointer 59 rotate with the shaft. The cam 65 is adapted to cam pin 67 downward, carrying with it the lever 68. Lever 68 is then moved in a clockwise direction, in Fig. 11, against the tension of spring 93 until contact 87 is brought in engagement with contact 88. Contact 88 is then also rotated counterclockwise to the position of Fig. 11, in which thepin 73 is moved down until it is engaged by the hook '79. The latch '74 tends to rotate clockwise in Fig. 10 into position to engage and latch the pin '73. The cam 66 thus latches the switch lever 84in the position of Figs. 10 and 11 and after the cam passes the switch lever 68 moves back again to the position of Fig. 11, but switch lever 84 is retained in the position of Fig. 11.

It will be evident that cam 65 moves the switch members to open position, where they are latched. As the rotation of the dial 58 progresses with the pointer 59, the pointer 59 comes into engagement with the transverse end 80 of the pawl '74 and unlatches the pawl '74 against the tension of spring '76. This permits switch lever 84 to move counterclockwise in Fig. 11 under the influence .of spring 90 to close the 'circuit. The pointer 59 is thus adapted'to' unlatch the switch and close the circuit. a

The angularity between the cam 65 and the 1 5 pointer 59 determines the length of time during which the circuit will be closed.

In the embodiment illustrated, the circuit is opened at the point 0 and closed at the point 15, fifteen minutes later, but the time during which the switch is closed may be adjusted to any value within the limits of an hour by adjusting the position of the pointer 59.

Referring to Fig. 9, this is a wiring diagram of the complete circuit. The leads 97, 98 may be connected'directly'to the terminals of the clock motor of the timing device 12. The clock motor is adapted to operate at all times, while the fan motor is periodically turned on or off. The primary of the transformer may have one end connected by a conductor 99 to the conductor 100 and the other end connected by a conductor 101 to contact 88. The other contact 8'7 may be connected by conductor 102 to conductor 97. The conductor 100 leads from conductor 98 tothe fan motor 29, and conductor 103 leads from. the other terminal of the fan motor 29 to the conductor 101. By tracing the circuits, it will be observed that both the transformer primary and the fan motor are controlled by the contacts 8'7, 88. 4c

Referring to Fig. 14, this is a modification in which the electrodes are shaped to permit the passage of air.' The electrodes 104, 105 may be provided with transverse corrugations extending in the direction of the air flow and with transversely turned ends 10'! adapted to engage in the slots 106'in the insulating strips 99. In some embodiments of the invention the electrodes may also be made of screen to permit the access of air to the point of generation of the ozone. 

